Macao’s population of nonresident workers grew by 3,544 in April to stand at 158,202, a rise of about 2.5 percent, according to the latest figures released by the Labour Affairs Bureau.
By far the largest number of nonresident workers in Macao are from mainland China (110,493), with substantial populations from the Philippines (24,573), Vietnam (7,255) and Indonesia (5,029).
There are also significant numbers of workers from Myanmar (2,760) and Nepal (2,714).
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Though the number of nonresident workers has been increasing gradually since Covid-19 travel curbs were lifted in January, it stands far below its pre-pandemic peak of 196,538, recorded in December 2019.
While analysts have warned that a labour shortage is slowing Macao’s recovery, local small business operators say it is increasingly difficult to recruit workers from the mainland, where wages have become more competitive.
Fong Kin Fu, director of the Federal General Commercial Association of Macau Small and Medium Enterprises, told Jornal Tribuna de Macau that “there is no other remedy” but for businesses in Macao to offer higher pay if they want to attract mainland Chinese workers.
